


Batting Practice

by kimmyiewrites (arosetosomeone)



Category: Archie Comics, Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Baseball, Comfort, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Grief/Mourning, Male-Female Friendship, Season 4 Episode 1, Softball
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-25
Updated: 2019-10-25
Packaged: 2021-01-13 16:23:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,497
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21172301
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/arosetosomeone/pseuds/kimmyiewrites
Summary: After the four friends return from bringing Fred home, they all stay the night at Archie's house. Not being able to sleep, Archie and Betty go have batting practice as they reminisce and think about all the things their dads are going to miss out on.





	Batting Practice

**Author's Note:**

> So I couldn't exactly get the thought of Betty and Archie talking about how to move on after their father's deaths out of my head so this is the product of that. Also I write Betty as a softball player like she was in the comics so that's why they're both doing baseball/softball things.

They all had returned to Archie’s house after they had brought Fred home. They really weren’t planning on leaving him alone for the time being. After they finished the movie they had started after dinner, Archie tried to get them to all go home. Instead a sleepover happened. Veronica and Archie slept in his room while Betty and Jughead slept on the air mattress in the living room. 

After he was sure Veronica was asleep, Archie slipped out from under her and tiptoed down the stairs. He fully planned on just going into the garage and having a moment to himself until he stepped directly onto the spot that caused the steps to creak. He froze, looking over to where his friends were and hoping that none of them woke up. 

His prayers were not answered as a blonde head became visible from behind the couch. “Arch?” Betty asked, her voice raspy from lack of use. She had been trying to fall asleep but it just wasn’t coming to her. 

“Go back to sleep, Betts.” He said as he continued his way down the last remaining stairs.

Betty shook her head and rolled off the mattress before meeting him in the hallway. “I wasn’t asleep anyways.” She smiled his way before heading into the kitchen. She grabbed two water bottles and handed one to him before settling onto one of the stools at the bar.

They sat in silence for a while, sipping on their water and just being there for each other. “Does it get easier?” Archie finally asked, when the weight of reality was getting to be too much. He knew his dad was like a father to all of his friends but no one besides Betty truly knew what it was like to lose their dad. So he had to know.

“Archie, my dad was a serial killer. I don’t think I’m really the best one to ask.” 

“Please, Betty. I have to know because right now all I want to do right now is hit something.”

Betty sighed. She knew that anger all too well. “Then let’s go hit something. Baseball stuff still in the garage?”

He nodded, curious as to what Betty was thinking. There was a time where he used to know immediately but life had recently caused a shift in their friendship. 

The blonde grabbed a napkin and a pen she found in the junk drawer, scribbling a note to the others in the house just in case they woke up before they returned. At park. Will be back soon. Betty and Archie

“I hated my dad after I found out that he was the Black Hood.” Betty started as the pair walked to the nearby park. They were quite the sight with helmets on their heads while still in their pajamas and bats resting against their shoulders. The baseball and softball sat in Archie’s pant pockets. “I had even wished him dead in the beginning. When he was shot all I could remember was everything before the Black Hood. He encouraged me in ways my mom never did. He just wanted me to do things that made me happy. Then I felt guilty for that because how could I miss a horrible person like that? He hurt me, us, so badly that my guilt then turned into anger. I can’t tell you it’s going to get better Archie, because I don’t know what it’s like to lose a parent who isn’t tainted by something as dark as the Black Hood. All I can really offer is just take one day at a time because one day I’m angry at him, one day I miss him, and another I don’t think about him at all.” 

Archie nodded, taking in all that she had said. He really didn’t realize she was struggling that much with her dad’s death. Then again Betty was always really good at hiding how she was really feeling. He was glad she opened up to him though. “One day at a time, I think I can do that.”

“I know you can.” Betty smiled up at him, giving his arm a reassuring squeeze. “You got me, Veronica, and Jug in your corner always. No matter what you need, we’ll be there.”

They made their way into the tennis court, figuring that the fence would act as their catcher when they hit each pitch. “I may not know how to box but hopefully this is the next best thing. Honestly, I think I’ve upped my fast pitch with some late night target practice.” Betty laughed as they set up for Archie to bat first.

“You know I could teach you, right? It’ll be like when we played t-ball together.” He squared up, preparing to hit Betty’s first pitch.

“I think I’ll leave that one to you. I’m already pretty dangerous with a bat.” She reared her arm back, throwing the ball towards Archie. 

Archie swung the bat, making contact with the ball and sending it to the other end of the court. At the sound of the satisfying metal clinking against the baseball, he smiled. “Okay, yeah, that’s still pretty good.”

Betty came jogging back to her spot from where she went to go get the ball back. “We should have brought more.” She laughed as she reared up for her second pitch.

“You were the one that said no to the bucket.”

“Well, yeah, that’s because it would have been too clunky to carry all the way down here. We didn’t want to wake anyone up.” She threw the ball and once more Archie hit it. 

“Do you remember the first time my dad took us to the batting cages?” Archie asked when she returned to the makeshift pitchers mound. 

“Yeah. We had been so upset that we were going to be separated during the season that he took us there to show that even though we were no longer on the same team, we could still practice together. He even helped me with my batting stance because I was missing like all of them at first.” She smiled fondly.

“And then when we both started pitching our dads would be our batters. We gave them so many bruises in the beginning.” He chuckled. 

“Oh my god, yes. I’ll never forget how I nearly gave them each a black eye because they thought it would be safer to work with each other’s kid.”

“They were so wrong.” Archie laughed at the memory.

“So wrong.” Betty agreed, her laughter joining his. 

Once their laughter died down, Archie looked at Betty, smiling fondly. Tears were filling both of their eyes at this point. “We’ll both make it through this.” 

She gave him a watery smile as she dropped the ball and hurried over to his side. “I miss them both so much.” She cried into his chest as they wrapped each other into a hug.

Archie buried his face in her neck, holding her close as he let his tears fall. “I just can’t believe they’re gone. They weren’t supposed to be gone yet. What about graduation, college, our eventual weddings?” 

Betty moved so she could rest her chin on his shoulder. She held her best friend as tight as she could. “We’ll just have to be there for each other during those things. We’ll cheer each other on as loud as we can at graduation, help each other pack for college and maybe even move in depending on things. Then for our weddings, you can be the one who walks me down the aisle and I’ll be a groomsman for yours.” 

“I like the sound of that.” Archie sniffled.

“Yeah, me too. You’re still my best friend in the whole world, Arch. I’ll be here for you always.” She gave him a small squeeze.

“The same goes for you, Betts.” He returned the squeeze with one of his own and the two friends just held each other like that for a few more moments. Archie was the one to pull away first but he still didn’t let go of Betty just yet. “Alright, your turn. I don’t want to go back just yet. The house just feels heavy now.”

Betty nodded as she pulled away to get ready to hit a few rounds. “Yeah, I know the feeling. That I can tell you, gets better.”

Archie nodded, stepping up to their pretend pitcher’s mound. “That’s good to know.”

He reared up and threw the ball towards Betty who then smacked it. The ball wound up stuck in the fence surrounding the tennis court. After a few moments of laughter, Betty went twice more before switching so Archie could once more have a go. They switched off like that, sharing memories of both of their father’s well into the morning. When the sun began to rise, they headed back to the Andrews’ house and made breakfast for everyone. Well, Betty made breakfast, Archie mainly supervised and poured the drinks. 

  



End file.
